Colour matching

If you would like the colours of your invitation to match a particular colour in the wedding such as the bridesmaid dresses please send me a sample of the fabric/colour and I will colour match for no extra cost. Its not an exact science but so far it has worked out perfectly.

Personally I don't believe that all your wedding colours have to match exactly, but I do my best to make it so. As my brother is law once said "its not like one of the guests are going to get an invitation and hold it up nest to the bridesmaid dress to see if the colour matches"

Personalised wedding invitations

Did you know that at inkprints its only $102 to have a design created just for your wedding day?

This price is on top of standard pricing on the website and the design is fitted to one of my standard templates.

I wanted to pay tribute to my favourite photographer today. Kirsty Head. Kirsty did my wedding 3 years ago in Wanganui and recently was able to squeeze in my sisters wedding in the Hawkes Bay. Why do we love Kirsty as a photographer? It's because she is so calm, collected, organised and just down to earth cool. Nothing is too much and none of the small things are missed out.

Kirsty also has some very competitive packages and i recommend ringing her to find out what she can do for your special day.

www.kirstyhead.co.nz/

Customised Invitations

Did you know that you can customise any design on the inkprints website for only $48! This includes colour alterations, formatting lines of text and/or changing size and shape. The great thing is this one off additional fee covers you for the whole set and you can change all 2 apects (colour, typeface and size) for this one fee.

If you are interested in this offer all you need to do is email me with your wording and the design you like with a few instructions. I will work with you till we get it looking just the way you want.

Printed guest names on wedding stationery

Inkprints is very excited and pleased to offer a new service. We can now individually print your guest names on your invitations or any other stationery you might like. All you need to do is supply us with a "Microsoft Word" document with a list of your guest names, one on each line e.g.
Jules and Tania Smith
Sam Murdock
Peter and Anne Dunlop

For this great new service we are only charging $15 + (50 cents per card), so for a wedding of 120 guests you could expect to pay around $50. This is available to anyone who wants an alteration to a template whether it be a colour alteration or extra lines of text. An alteration such as this is an extra $48.

Invitations printed like this look so much tidier and save you time and hassle in finding a calligrapher. If you would like to take advantage of this new offer please email me with the wording you would like on your stationery, what design you are after and you guest names in a "Microsoft Word" document.

Your wedding dinner set

Here is a helpful bit of information I had known when i was setting up my gift registery. I didn't do my home work and now I don't have any plates to eat on! Hopefully this well help you make a better desicion than i did.

For out wedding we selected a lovely dinnerwear set through an online gift registery. I didn't know that not all dinnerwear is created equal, I didn't know that some types lasted longer than other. We selected an earthen wear set. Two months after the big day we started noticing chips in the plates. The next part is my own fault. I left it too long before sorting it out with the registery company. I live in the country and couldn't get to the store to return them. I did however package them up ready to take back to Wellington. So i took them back last weekend when helping my sister shop for a wedding dress (so much fun!)

So the tip of the day is that if you want your wedding dinner set to last go for porcelain. There is nothing worse than not being able to use a gift thata was given to you for your wedding. What do i do with it now? I can't throw them away...

What’s the difference between different types of dinnerware?
(listed in order of quality - low to high)

Earthenware $
Fired at the lowest kiln temperatures, earthenware is the oldest form of dinnerware and contains a number of impurities making it fragile and absorbent. Earthenware can be found both glazed and unglazed. Decorative earthenware pieces can be found within many dinnerware patterns in the form of serveware items and some individual pieces. Some earthenware items should be placed in a cold oven to heat up gradually to avoid cracking due to extreme temperature changes. However, it will always be best to check each pattern’s specific care instructions.

Stoneware $$
Stoneware is fired at higher temperatures than earthenware, making it more durable and chip resistant. Most stoneware is dishwasher safe and like earthenware, it may require a gradual change in temperature. Stoneware will usually be microwave safe, assuming no metal banding or decoration is present.

Porcelain $$$
Porcelain is a durable, non-absorbent ceramic that is fired at the highest kiln temperatures. Porcelain is impervious to bacteria growth. It is normally dishwasher, oven and microwave safe and is ideal for all uses at the table and in the kitchen.

Fine China $$$
Fine china is actually another name for porcelain. Better quality porcelain will be thin and translucent, yet resistant to chipping and cracking. Although it looks delicate, it is quite durable. It is generally dishwasher safe and microwave safe, assuming no metal banding or decoration is present.

Bone China $$$$
Bone china is in the same family as fine china; however its clay content includes a percentage of bone ash. Bone ash helps to create a whiter, more translucent ceramic, resulting in one of the finest, most durable additions to your table settings. (Mayfair & Jackson Fine Bone China contains at least 43% bone ash in its formula)

Hope this helps.

Getting your guests organised

I thought that I would write about the things that the "brides and grooms to be" need to be doing and organising. How do I know this? I was married 2 years ago which was the best learning experience, and I have also worked as a wedding planner for 2 and a half years. I no longer organise weddings, but my sister is getting married in March and I am helping with some of the planning. There are lots of little tips I give her along the way that many of you might be interested in.

I am going to start with how to get your guests excited and organised for your wedding. Here in New Zealand our wedding season is January to March. This is a short window of time and it can be competitive to get dates and venues. I always recommend to my brides that they use "save the date" cards to give their guests advanced warning about the date and location of the wedding, and to give them a teaser of what’s to come.

Choosing the date of a wedding can be difficult at times. Make sure you check what else is on that date in your area and check with other engaged friends to make sure you haven’t got the same date. You don’t want your guests to have to choose between weddings. Friends of mine one year had to choose between 7 couples! How did they choose? Well, they went by who was first in and who they were closest to. They managed to get in 4 couples in a weekend as they were all in the same area. They went to the wedding of a family member on the Friday, a close friend on the Saturday and then made appearances at the other 2 at their day after BBQ’s.

The location on the ‘save the date’ card can be broad such as a city or region. Overseas guests will need time to organise flights and your friends and family will need to book accommodation. There is a lot going on in summer besides weddings and accommodation can book very quickly with many places only allowing you to book for a minimum of 2 nights. Don't fall for this trap, please hunt around. It is hard work with many couples opting not to get involved with organising their guest’s accommodation, but it will give you peace of mind to know they won't get frustrated and will come to the wedding in a happy state of mind.

For my wedding organising the accommodation was the most stressful part. There was a big event on in Wanganui the weekend of our wedding and everyone told me all the accommodation would be booked out. So I tried months in advance to work out how many rooms I would need, who would want what accommodation, which would stay with relatives etc. It was all guess work and I didn’t want to let the hoteliers or my guests down. Most places would only allow a minimum of 3 nights. Luckily 2 hotels gave me the rooms I needed for one night as I was the first in. Most places don’t work on a first in first served basis. Another trap we found were people putting the prices up when they realised it was going to be a busy weekend. What we found was that there was heaps of accommodation available that weekend, and some people thought the accommodation I booked for them was to flash. I should never have tried to organise it and wouldn’t do it again.

This was my stand when my sister wanted to organise the accommodation for her wedding in the Hawkes Bay in March 09. She ignored my advice however and although it wasn’t easy as there were many events on the same weekend, she now feels that her guests won’t be left out in the cold. She has pre-booked with 2 hotels and given their names to her guests to reserve and pay the deposit for their own accommodation by a certain date. This means that whatever rooms aren’t taken by this date will be released. This is a great option as she personally doesn’t have to pay money in advance and she has done her best to provide for her guests.

A few suggestions when booking wedding accommodation are: Often I find that B&B’s are a more suitable option for a wedding rather than having everyone in the same hotel. Be wary of keeping families with young children in accommodation away from raucous singles and the main event so the kids can get a good sleep. It’s always nice to have a room or a house close to the main event. This can be used for nursing mothers, a place for the bride and groom to catch their breath, you could hire a nanny to look after all the kids so they are close to the event but also giving the parents time to enjoy themselves, or as a place for the bide and her maids to get ready. Lastly; just a reminder to get nice accommodation for the bridal couple. Maybe the grandparents can look after the kids if there are any.

My favourite thing about ‘save the date’ cards is that they are the first piece of stationery that you send out and they set the tone for your wedding. I find that once the design is settled upon for the save the date cards or invitations that the style of the dress, the look of the venue and setting of the tables all follow and tie together.

Things to think about when designing your stationery: The atmosphere of the wedding, how do you want people to feel, relaxed and soft, excited? Use soft colours to create a dreamy, loving environment and black and whites for a crisp formal setting. Is it a garden wedding or in a city church, is there history? Look to the seasons for colours. Is it a small or large wedding? (In many cases black and white stationery will be cheaper). Think about what colours your bridesmaids suit and tie that in also. What flowers would you like to carry down the aisle (make sure they will be in season).

Stay tuned for more helpful tips. Email me if you need any advice. I would also love any feedback.